I currently live in downtown Portland, but my lease is up soon, and I'm looking to move to a more affordable neighborhood. I work in Hillsboro, 13 miles away. My fiance works in Vancouver, WA, 10 miles away, in the opposite direction. We are both recent graduates, gaining experience in our industries, really enjoy our jobs/companies, neither of us want to quit, nor can we telecommute. I currently take the MAX to Hillsboro every day (1 hour each way).
We enjoy living in older, walkable neighborhoods with personality. Ideally only one of us would need a car to get to work. We are willing to take public transportation up to 1 hour each way. I'm thinking North Portland fits this criteria (I would clown car commute to Hillsboro, and my fiance would bike to Vancouver over the I-5 bridge), but would love any creative suggestions.